Sheet bending apparatus



18, 1955 J. c. M coRMAcK ETAL 2,699,812

ed Jan. 51, 1951 mfrwmma Jan. 18, 1955 J.C MGCORMACK ETAL 2,699,812

SHEET BENDING APPARATUS Filed Jan. 51, 1951 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 IN VEN TORS Unitfiid States Pat t SHEET BENDING APPARATUS John C. Metlormack, Pensacola, Fla., and Joseph L.

White, Montgomery, Ala.; John C. McCormack, administrator of said Joseph L. White, deceased, assignors to Four-Way Awning Company, Pensacola, Fla., a corporation of Florida Application January 31, 1951, Serial No. 208,810

7 Claims. (Cl. 153--16) the sheet by operation of what is generally known in the industry as a hand brake. Inasmuch successive bends in the sheet are reversed in direction, it is necessary after making each bend to release the sheet, remove it from the machine, reinsert the sheet to the proper place in the machine, and effect the next bend. This obviously is a very slow and tedious procedure.

An important object of the present invention is to provide a novel sheet bending apparatus wherein two bends, reversed with respect to each other, can be made by a single operation of the machine, thus permitting successive bends to be formed in the sheets by a progression of the sheet through the bending apparatus to form half of the bends without removing the sheet from the machine, after which the sheet is removed, inverted and re inserted in the machine for the formation of the remaining bends by a progression of the sheet through the machine without being removed therefrom, thus completing the corrugating of the sheet with only a single removal of the sheet from the machine, and very materially reducing the time involved in corrugating metal or similar and replaceable metal bending bar 26 having a sloping sheets.

A further object is to provide such an apparatus wherein the simultaneous reverse bending of the sheet along spaced parallel lines is effected by a single operation of a single member corresponding to that conventionally employed for forming single bends in a sheet.

A further object is to provide such an apparatus wherein a simple form of attachment cooperates with the elements of a conventional hand brake to effect the forming of a second and reverse bend in the sheet as another I bend is being formed therein by the operation of a conventional member.

A further object is to provide an apparatus of this character wherein the attachment is movable freely from operative position to a sheet in position to be bent, after which the attachment may be moved to its operative position and will effect a second bend in the sheet without the necessity for having to anchor the attachment in position.

provide clear vision for the placing of i A further object is to provide an attachment of the l character referred to, operative for the purpose stated, which is so mounted as to be capable of being moved wholly away from its operative position when it is desired to use the hand brake for providing single bends in sheets, whereby the attachment adapts the apparatus 35 for a wholly new operation while permitting it, when desired, to be conventionally operated.

Other objects and advantages of the present invention will become apparent during the course of the following description.

In the drawings, I have shown one embodiment of the invention. In this showing,

Figure 1 is a fragmentary front elevation generally illustrating a metal bending machine,

at 25 to the forward edge Figure 2 is a fragmentary transverse vertical sectional view on line 2-2 of Figure 1, showing the parts of the apparatus positioned for the insertion of a sheet to be cut,

Figure 3 is a similar view showing the vise members brought together, clamping a sheet in position ready for a bending operation,

Figure 4 is a similar view showing the position of the parts at the completion of a bending operation occurring during the second passing of a sheet through the apparatus,

Figure 5 is a detailed fragmentary perspective view of a portion of a sheet showing the stepped formation of the sheet after it has been passed once through the apparatus, and

Figure 6 is a similar sheet.

Referring to Figures 1 to 4 inclusive, the numeral 10 designates a metal bending apparatus as a whole, and this machine is similar to a conventional hand brake except for the addition of the elements described below. The machine comprises a pair of vise elements 11 and 12 between which is adapted to be passed a sheet of metal or the like 13 to be bent as described below. The element 12 forms, in eifect, the bed of the machine and is carried by a portion 14 of the supporting frame, which may be conventional and need not be illustrated in detai The clamping member 11 is vertically movable between an upper position shown in Figure 2 and a. clamping position shown in Figures 3 and 4. Suitable means, including view of the completed corrugated a counterweighted lever 15, forming no part per se of In accordance with the conventional construction of a machine of this character, an apron 24 is pivoted as of the bed 12, and the apron has secured thereto in any suitable manner a removable working face 27. The apron 24 normally occupies the position shown in Figures 2 and 3 and is adapted to be swung upwardly by heavily counterweighted conventional lever arms 28 (Figure 1).

Adjacent the lower extremity of the sloping portion 16 is arranged an elongated angle 30 normally fixed to the member 11 by several screws 31. The angle is carried by one member 32 of a hinge having its other end 33 permanently attached to the portion 16 of the clamping member 11. Adjacent the upwardly and forwardly extending flange of the angle is arranged a hinge 35 having one portion 36 fixed to the angle 30 and the other portion 37 fixed to a former 38, coextensive in length with the bar 26 and shaped in cross section as shown in Figures 2, 3 and 4. The former 38 may be formed of wood and is angularly undercut as at 39 to form a vertical face 40 and a horizontal downwardly facing surface 41 when the member 38 is in the operative position shown in Figures 3 and 4. The former 38 has a normally back face 42 engageable against the upwardly and forwardly extending flange of the angle 30.

In the operation of the apparatus described below, a sheet 13 is passed through the machine to simultaneously reversely bend the sheet as at 45 and 46, thus forming faces 47, each of which becomes one side of a corrugation in the finished sheet. The successive bends 45 and 46 are formed by successive operations of the apparatus, whereupon the sheet is inverted end for end relative to the lines 45 and 46, whereupon the sheet. is progressed through the machine and subjected to successive bending operations, each of which simultaneously bends the sheet along lines 49 and 50, as shown in Figure 6.

Operation The desired lines along which a sheet is to be bent are marked on the sheet. The sheet is then inserted in the machineand' arranged with the proper marked line coincident with the edge 18, the parts of. the apparatus at suchitime' occupying. the positions shownin Figure 2. It will be noted that the former 38 will be swung to an inoperative position, rendering the edge 18 fully visible so that the sheet accurately may be placed in position for the first bending operation, whereupon the clamping member 11 is moved downwardly to clamp the sheet between the surfaces 19 and 20. The former 33 is then swung downwardly to the position shown in Figure 3,

whereupon the first bending operation be performed.

The apron 24 is swung upwardly, whereupon the bar 26 of the apron 24 bends the sheet upwardly around the edge 18 to form one of the bends 45. During the upward swinging of the apron, the entire leading portion of the sheet will be swung upwardly until it engages the forward edge portion of the former 37, and continued movement of the apron will bend the sheet into the undercut 39 to form one of the bends 46. The parts are then restored to the positions shown in Figure 2', whereupon the sheet is advanced, without being removed from the machine, and the operations referred to are repeated to form the next pair of bends 45 and 46. This operation is carried out throughout the width of the sheet, thus forming a sheet in the stepped formation shown in Figure 5.

The sheet is then inverted by swinging it end for end relative to the lines 45 and do, whereupon the sheet is again progressed through the apparatus to form successive pairs of bends 49 and 50, one of the completed pairs of such bends being shown in Figure 4-. The operation is repeated at the desired points across the sheet, thus forming the resultant corrugated sheet shown in Figure 6, wherein the bends 49 and 50 form walls 51 opposite the walls 47, and the sheet will be corrugated to form ridges and valleys 52 and 53 respectively.

In conventional practice with a conventional hand brake, it is necessary to form one of the bends 46, remove the sheet, reverse it, reinsert it in the machine at the proper point and again operate the machine to form the adjacent bend 45. Each bend is formed separately and each successive bend requires the removal and replacement of the sheet, thus requiring a substantial length of time to corrugate each sheet. With the present apparatus, adjacent reversed bends are formed simultaneously and the sheet is progressed through the machine to form all of the bends 45 and 46, thus requiring a single removal of the sheet from the machine and its replacement therein to form the successive pairs of bends 49 and 50. The number of operations of the machine is reduced by one-half by forming two bends at a time, and the time lost in removing and reinserting each sheet is reduced so materially that the sheets may be produced far more quickly and consequently more economically.

As the successive bends 49 and 59 are formed, the preceding wall 47 (Figure 4) will merely rest on the apron 24. This flexes the sheet upwardly, but not be yond its elastic limit, and the sheet will be unmarked except for the formation of the desired bends.

If it is desired to use the machine conventionally to form single bends, the several screws 31 may be removed and the entire former and the parts connected thereto may be swung upwardly with the hinge element 32 to a position over the wall 16, substantially removed from the edge 18. Thus the present invention does not interfere with the operation of a conventional hand brake, but provides means whereby corrugated sheets may be quickly and easily formed with a high degree of facility and economy.

We claim:

1. A metal bending apparatus comprising a supporting bed having means asociated therewith for clamping a sheet thereon and said means having an edge about which the metal is adapted to be bent, a bending bar pivotally movable into engagement with the sheet from the side thereof opposite said edge to bend the metal therearound, a former disposed against said clamping means at the same side of the sheet as said edge and spaced from the plane of the sheet on said bed, and means pivotally mounting said former for upward swinging movement away from said edge, said former having a concavely angled working face and being so arranged relative to said bending bar that the latter moves to a position within the angled working face of said former whereby, when said bending bar bends the sheet around said edge, the working face of said former cooperates with said bending bar to reversely bend the sheet.

2. A metal bending apparatus comprising an upwardly facing horizontal bed, clamping means for clamping a sheet on the top of said bed, said clamping means hav ing a straight edge around which the sheet is adapted to be bent, a bending bar pivoted below the level of said bed for turning movement on an axis parallel to said edge and adapted to swing upwardly about said axis to bend the sheet upwardly around said edge, a former arranged above said edge in close proximity thereto and having a concavely angled working face elongated parallel to said edge, the angle of said face being arranged above said edge and approximately in a line at the limit of the upward movement of said bending bar whereby the latter, in bending a sheet around said edge, forces the sheet into engagement with said working face whereby the latter reversely bends the sheet, and means pivotally mounting said former for upward swinging movement away from said edge.

3. A metal bending apparatus comprising an upwardly facing horizontal bed, clamping means for clamping a sheet on the top of said bed, said clamping means having a straight edge around which the sheet is adapted to be bent, a bending bar pivoted below the level of said bed for turning movement on an axis parallel to said edge and adapted to swing upwardly about said axis to bend the sheet upwardly around said edge, a forme arranged above and in close proximity to said edge and having a concavely angled working face elongated parallel to said edge, the angle of said face being arranged above said edge and approximately in a line at the limit of the upward movement of said bending bar whereby the latter, in bending a sheet around said edge, forces the sheet into engagement with said working face whereby the latter reversely bends the sheet, and means for supporting said former for swinging movement away from a position above said edge to render the latter visible for placing the sheet in predetermined relationship thereto.

4. A metal bending apparatus comprising an upwardly facing horizontal bed, clamping means for clamping a sheet on the top of said bed, said clamping means having a straight edge around which the sheet'is adapted to be bent, a bending bar pivoted below the level of said bed for turning movement on an axis parallel to said edge. and adapted to swing upwardly about said axis to bent the sheet upwardly around said edge, said clamping means having a top surface sloping upwardly and rearwardly away from said edge, a support carried by said top surface and projecting generally upwardly therefrom, and a former having a concavely angled working face pivotally connected to the projecting portion of said support and normally occupying a position above and in close proximity'to said edge to engage the sheet above said edge as said bending oar bends the sheet therearound and cooperating with said bending bar to reversely bend the sheet.

5. A metal bending apparatus comprising an upwardly facing horizontal bed, clamping means for clamping a sheet on the top of said bed, said clamping'means having a straight edge around which the sheet is adapted to be bent, a bending bar pivoted below the level of said bed for turning movement on an axis parallel to said edge and adapted to swing upwardly about said axis to bend the sheet upwardly around said edge, said clamping means having a top surface sloping upwardly and rearwardly away from said edge, a support carried by said top surface and projecting generally upwardly therefrom, and a former pivotally connected to the projecting portion of said support and normally occupying a position above 7 and in proximity to said edge and overhanging said edge, and from which position said former is adapted to be swung upwardly to render said edge fully visible for the placing of a sheet in predetermined relation thereto, said former having a concavely angled working face one portion of which extends upwardly from the said edge and the other portion of which projects forwardly of said edge when. said former is in normal position, the angle of said working face being parallel to said edge and lying in a line approximating the limit of movement of the upper edge of said bending bar when. the latter swings upwardly to bend the sheet around said edge whereby said bending bar forces the sheet against said working face to reversely bend the sheet.

6. A metal bending apparatus comprising an upwardly facing horizontal bed, clamping means for clamping a sheet on the top of said bed, said clamping means having a straight edge around which the sheet is adapted to be bent, a bending bar pivoted below the level of said bed for turning movement on an axis parallel to said edge and adapted to swing upwardly about said axis to bend the sheet upwardly around said edge, said clamping means having an upwardly and rearwardly sloping top face, a support fixed to said top face and having a flange projecting forwardly and upwardly at an angle and terminating substantially above said edge and elongated longitudinally thereof, and a former pivoted to the upper for ward edge of said flange and normally occupying a lower position with a portion projecting beneath said flange and overlying the forward portion of said top face in engagement therewith, said former projecting forwardly of said edge in the path of a sheet being bent upwardly by said bending bar as the latter swings the sheet upwardly to bend it around said edge whereby said former reversely bends the sheet.

7. A metal bending apparatus comprising an upwardly facing horizontal bed, clamping means for clamping a sheet on the top of said bed, said clamping means having a straight edge around which the sheet is adapted to be bent, a bending bar pivoted below the level of said bed for turning movement on an axis parallel to said edge and adapted to swing upwardly about said axis to bend the sheet upwardly around said edge, said clamping means having an upwardly and rearwardly sloping top face, a

support fixed to said top face and having a flange projecting forwardly and upwardly at an angle and terminating substantially above said edge and elongated longitudinally thereof, and a former pivoted to the upper forward edge of said flange and normally occupying a lower position with a portion projecting beneath said flange and overlying the forward portion of said top face, said former having a concavely angled working face one portion of which extends vertically upwardly above said edge and the other portion of which projects substantially horizontally forwardly of said edge, the angle of said working face being elongated parallel to said edge and lying in a line substantially coincident with the upper limit of movement of the top edge of said bending bar when the latter swings upwardly to bend the sheet around said edge whereby the sheet will be forced into the angle of said former to be reversely bent thereby.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 143,558 Brand Oct. 14, 1873 320,653 Hare June 23, 1885 338,100 Ohl Mar. 16, 1886 1,815,102 Hinrich July 21, 1931 2,159,784 Demmin May 23, 1939 2,208,061 Warger July 16, 1940 FOREIGN PATENTS 13,629 Great Britain of 1894 

